The present invention is related to a valve core for a single handled faucet, comprising a valve housing, a valve stick, a base mount, a switching control valve, and a valve seat wherein the base mount, engaged with the valve stick and mounted onto the switching control valve thereof, is securely located at the valve housing therein, stably refrained from being moved or rotated by the valve stick thereof in operation. The valve stick, pivotally moved at the base mount therein, will activate the switching control valve via a protruded connecting section, driving an upper switch valve of the valve seat joined at the bottom thereof for water discharge. The valve stick is also rotated left or right with a turning protruded block thereof moved at a turning cut area of the base mount therein to adjust the water temperature. Meanwhile, the valve stick thereof is prevented from being directly contacted with the valve housing, facilitating the easy operation of the valve stick thereof even under low torque. Besides, a protruded guide spot of the base mount is limited to move at an indented recess of the switching control valve therein, ensuring the precise movement of the switching control valve in operation.
Please refer to FIG. 1. A conventional valve core 10 for a single handled faucet is mainly made up of a valve housing 11, a regulating seat 12, a switch control seat 13, and a valve seat 14. The valve housing 11, a step-wise sheltering case, has a valve chamber 111 disposed at the interior thereof, a pair of opposite stop blocks 112 disposed at the inner top surface of the valve chamber 111 thereof, a locating block 113 disposed at the middle of the opposite stop blocks 112 thereof, and a plurality of insert grooves 114 cut at the lower periphery thereof. The regulating seat 12 is equipped with an arc locating block 121 extending outwards at the lower periphery thereof, a switch control stick 122 pivotally joined at the center thereof, and a rounded and flat-end connecting block 123 protruding at the bottom of the switch control stick 122 thereof to be engaged with a connecting groove 131 of the switch control seat 13 thereof. The switch control seat 13 also includes a locating recess 132 cut at one side thereof. The valve seat 14 is made up of an upper switching control valve 141, and a lower switching control valve 142 with a plurality of insert parts 143 extending upwards at the lower periphery thereof.
Please refer to FIG. 2. In assembly, the rounded and flat-end connecting block 123 of the switch control stick 122 is engaged with the connecting groove 131 of the switch control seat 13 thereof to fix the regulating seat 12 onto the switch control seat 13 thereof. The switch control seat 13 is then mounted on top of the upper switching control valve 141 and the valve housing 11 applied from top to bottom to adapt the regulating seat 12 and the switch control seat 13 therein respectively with the arc locating block 121 thereof located at the opposite stop blocks 112 there-between and the locating recess 132 thereof engaged with the locating block 113 thereof. Finally, the insert parts 143 of the valve seat 14 are fixedly joined to the insert grooves 114 of the valve housing 11 to complete the assembly thereof.
There are some drawbacks to such conventional valve core 10 for a single handled faucet. First, the switch control stick 122 of the valve core 10 is rotated left or right to regulate the water temperature, activating the regulating seat 12 therewith to directly contact with the valve housing 11 in large frictional area, which can increase the frictional coefficient thereof and make the switch control stick 122 hard to be rotated in operation. Second, the switch control stick 122 is switched to drive the locating recess 132 of the switch control seat 13 engaging with the locating block 113 of the valve housing 11 so as to open the valve core 10 for water discharge. In case the locating recess 132 thereof is imprecisely engaged with the locating block 113 thereof, the valve core 10 can't be properly operated for the discharge of water. Third, the opposite stop blocks 112 and the locating block 13 thereof are matched to the arc locating block 121 and the locating recess 132 thereof, which, uneconomically complicated in structure, may boost the costs of materials and production thereof.